Africana Studies

Degree Type
Department Interdisciplinary
Academic Division The College
Offerings Minor
Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary minor that examines the culture and experiences of African peoples and those who make up the African Diaspora throughout the world. Relevant courses come from a variety of disciplines, including literature, history, sociology, economics, politics, art and music.

Why Study Africana Studies at W&L?

Students interested in global history or politics, the Atlantic world, international law, international relations, world economics, African-American studies, comparative literature and Africa should consider this program.

Annually, the program brings noted speakers to campus, sponsors multiple student and faculty events, and supports university efforts to offer a more diverse and rich curriculum that accurately reflects and represents the cultural complexity of Africa and the African Diaspora. 

Each student completing the minor in Africana Studies produces a senior capstone project. In this capstone, students pursue in-depth and detail a subject that particularly captivates them, usually something they have studied in one of their courses in the program.

"The most interesting thing I’ve learned while researching has been Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermons and speeches. He has delivered so many speeches inspiring people to fight for equal rights, and I have enjoyed learning more about the ones that are a bit less known, but still as riveting."

Joelle SimeuClass of 2020

Mohamed Kamara

Program Head
E: kamaram@wlu.edu

Shirley Richardson

Administrative Assistant
E: srichard@wlu.edu

Sample Courses

At W&L, we believe education and experience go hand-in-hand. You'll be encouraged to dive in, explore and discover connections that will broaden your perspective.
HIST 366

Slavery in the Americas

An intensive examination of slavery, abolition movements and emancipation in North America, the Caribbean and Latin America. Emphasis is on the use of primary sources and class discussion of assigned readings.

CBSC 269

Stereotyping, Prejudice, Discrimination

This course examines cognitive and affective processes involved in stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. Causes and social implications of prejudice involving various stigmatized groups (e.g., African-Americans, women, homosexuals, people of low socioeconomic status, overweight individuals) are examined. Participants focus on attitudes and behaviors of both perpetrators and targets of prejudice that likely contribute to and result from social inequality.

PHIL 242

Social Inequality & Fair Opportunity

An exploration of the different range of opportunities available to various social groups, including racial, ethnic and sexual minorities, women and the poor. Topics include how to define fair equality of opportunity; the social mechanisms that play a role in expanding and limiting opportunity; legal and group-initiated strategies aimed at effecting fair equality of opportunity and the theoretical foundations of these strategies; as well as an analysis of the concepts of equality, merit and citizenship, and their value to individuals and society.

POV 243

MLK Jr: Poverty, Justice & Love

This course offers students the opportunity to examine the ethics and theology that informed the public arguments about poverty made by one of the 20th century's most important social justice theorists and activists, Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the competing views of his contemporaries, critics, forebears and heirs. The course asks the following questions, among others: How do justice and love relate to one another and to poverty reduction? What role should religion play in public discussions and policies about poverty and justice? Are the dignity and the beloved community King championed the proper goal of anti-poverty efforts?

HIST 131

Túpak Katari to Tupac Shakur

A survey of Latin America from the 1781 anticolonial rebellion led by indigenous insurgent Túpak Katari to a globalized present in which Latin American youth listen to Tupac Shakur yet know little of his namesake. Lectures are organized thematically and chronologically, surveying the historical formation of people and nations in Latin America. Individual countries provide examples of how local and transnational forces have shaped the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of North and South America and the Caribbean, and the cultural distinctions and ethnic diversity that characterize a region too often misperceived as homogeneous.

ENGL 394A

James Baldwin & His Interlocutors

This seminar explores the life and writing of James Baldwin. Through an examination of both his fiction and nonfiction, the seminar charts his interrogation and development of ideas surrounding, among other topics, race, courage, love, nation, revolution and belonging. We also trace his impact on our national consciousness by reading authors whose own bodies of work intersect with his. This list includes, but is not limited to, Norman Mailer, Amiri Baraka, Malcolm X, Lorraine Hansberry, Richard Wright and Barry Jenkins.

Meet the Faculty

At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Mohamed Kamara Associate Professor of French; Program Chair, Africana Studies
Professor Kamara holds degrees in French, English and Secondary Education. He teaches French courses in the Department of Romance Languages and heads the university's Africana Studies Program.
Niels-Hugo Blunch Professor of Economics
Blunch teaches econometrics and health economics, and also takes students to Ghana for study abroad. His research pertains to health, education and labor market issues. Previously, Blunch worked with the World Bank and the United Nations.
Marc Conner Provost; Jo M. and James Ballengee Professor of English
Conner teaches courses on Shakespeare, Irish literature and African-American literature. His research interests include modernity and modern narrative, 20th-century American fiction and African-American literature.
Ted DeLaney Professor of History
DeLaney teaches courses that pertain to American history, often with a focus on colonial North America, slavery and civil rights. He is currently writing the story of school desegregation in four western Virginia counties.
Matt Gildner Assistant Professor of History
Gildner teaches many courses in Latin American history and some that count towards the Africana Studies minor. His research pertains primarily to the cultural, political and intellectual history of Latin America.
Lena Hill Dean of the College; Professor of English
In addition to her duties as Dean of the College, Hill researches and teaches courses primarily in 19th- and 20th-century African-American literature. She has written a number of books and articles on the subject.
Michael D. Hill Professor of Africana Studies
Hill is a scholar of African-American culture, literature and history. He previously taught at the University of Iowa and Wake Forest University.
Diego Millan Assistant Professor of English
Millan teaches upper-level courses in black diasporic literature. He has researched 19th- and 20th-century American and African-American literature and culture, black studies, performance studies, and theories of laughter and comedy.
Lucas Morel Professor of Politics and Head of the Politics Department
Morel has taught at W&L since 1999. His teaching and research interests include American government, political theory, Abraham Lincoln, Ralph Ellison, and race and equality. He is a pre-law advisor and an accomplished writer.

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